A judge in Mykolaiv was surprised that the mayor of Ochakiv, who is under daily shelling, constantly travels abroad.

Serhiy Bychkov, Mayor of Ochakiv, at the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, Rome, 2025. Photo: NikVesti

Iryna Bobrova, a judge at the Zavodskyi District Court in Mykolaiv, said she did not understand why the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhii Bychkov, was often abroad while the city was under daily shelling.

She made this statement during a court hearing on Wednesday, 28 January, according to a correspondent from NikVesti.

It should be noted that Serhii Bychkov is in fact the main witness in the case of his former subordinate and ex-commander of the 73rd Marine Special Operations Centre, Eduard Shevchenko, who is accused of high treason. The investigation believes that Shevchenko was ordered by the Russian special services to recruit Bychkov.

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Today, the court planned to question the mayor of Ochakiv. However, he did not appear at the hearing due to another business trip.

Commenting on this, Iryna Bobrova noted that she finds it strange that the mayor is outside Ukraine, given that Ochakiv is in a combat zone.

«It is very strange that the mayor of a city where fighting is actually taking place is constantly abroad. This somehow does not fit with the conditions of wartime,» said Iryna Bobrova.

We will remind you that during one of the hearings in the case of Eduard Shevchenko, a fragment of a dialogue between Mayor Serhiy Bychkov and the Russian side was heard. The conversation took place under the supervision of representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine.

The case of Eduard Shevchenko

The trial of Eduard Shevchenko, who is accused of collaborating with Russian special services, began on 6 February. The man's arrest on charges of treason became known in March 2023.

He not only headed the Ochakiv City Council department responsible for security in the city, but was also the commander of the 73rd Special Purpose Naval Centre, a veteran of the Anti-Terrorist Operation and a recipient of state orders.

In an interview with journalists, he spoke negatively about his years of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine due to the unfair level of provision for military personnel.

At a hearing on 27 May, the court considered the process of conducting a search of the defendant's home. However, apart from a dark screen, it was impossible to see anything due to the lack of light in the house.

On 4 June, the court considered searches of the home of the father of an officer of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, who is connected with the case of the recruitment of the mayor of Ochakiv.

In October, the court partially lifted the seizure of the defendant's property. This refers to his 16-year-old son's mobile phone and a thermal imager.

How is the mayor of Ochakiv connected to the treason case?

During the arrest of Eduard Shevchenko in March 2023, the SBU reported, in particular, that he had attempted to recruit Mayor Serhii Bychkov.

According to the investigation, when Eduard Shevchenko was head of the security and surveillance department of the Ochakiv City Council's housing and utilities department, he was tasked by Serhii Kolesnikov with recruiting the mayor to ensure his loyalty. In direct communication with Bychkov at the city council, Shevchenko said that representatives of the Russian Federation wanted to talk to the mayor.

«He is very cautious. I suggested it through me,» he reported to Kolesnikov after communicating with the Ochakiv mayor.

After his arrest, Eduard Shevchenko said he was surprised by the SSU's statement that he had tried to recruit Mayor Serhii Bychkov to work for the Russians.

Deputy Head of the Public Control Council of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine Denys Zhelo commented on the lack of claims by law enforcement agencies against the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhii Bychkov, whose colleague was detained on charges of treason. According to Denys Zhelo, Ochakiv Mayor Serhii Bychkov «was friends in all respects with Russian intelligence agent Eduard Shevchenko».

Eduard Shevchenko himself noted that he considers Serhii Bychkov to be the most effective mayor Ochakiv has ever had.

The mayor himself was almost always closed to communication with the media. Commenting on this, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Vitalii Kim, suggested that Serhii Bychkov does not address the community and does not report on the results of his work because he is a «private person».